Tracking the West Virginia Mountaineers Football true freshman class

Rivals.com has teamed with Pro Football Focus and as part of that, we can provide incredibly detailed statistics on the West Virginia football team.

Today, we take a look at how the true freshmen graded out against Cincinnati. We will be tracking this all season and updating after each game.

In this article, we use the PFF grades to show you how the true freshmen performed to date as well as statistics.

But first, an explanation from PFF on how the grading scale works:

PFF grades each player on every play from -2 to +2 based on their performance, with 0 representing an ‘expected’ play. Catastrophic mistakes, like a game-ending interception, are graded at the low end, while exceptional plays, like a perfect deep throw, are at the high end.

Each game is graded by two analysts, with a Senior Analyst resolving any discrepancies. Grades are verified by the Pro Coach Network, a group of experienced NFL coaches.

Afterward, the grades are adjusted based on game context (e.g., player position, quarterback’s dropback depth) and converted to a 0-100 scale. Season grades are not just averages; they account for consistency—performing well over multiple games is rated higher than a single standout performance.

Grades may fluctuate throughout the week as the review process continues, with final grades locking once all reviews are complete.

Game 1: Penn State: Total Snaps 4 | Grade of 51.8
Game 2: Albany: Total Snaps 5 | Grade of 57.9
Game 4: Kansas: Total Snaps 1 | Grade of 60.0
Game 5: Oklahoma State: Total Snaps 17 | Grade of 54.3
Game 6: Iowa State: Total Snaps 5 | Grade of 57.3
Game 7: Kansas State: Total Snaps 10 | Grade of 55.6
Game 9: Cincinnati: Total Snaps 2 | Grade of 56.0

Farmer recorded a pair of snaps against Cincinnati and was even the target of a deep ball down the middle of the field that fell incomplete. The freshman wide receiver is a candidate to see more time on the field moving forward.

Game 1: Penn State: Total Snaps 5 | Grade of 59.5
Game 2: Albany: Total Snaps 8 | Grade of 78.7
Game 3: Pitt: Total Snaps 1 | Grade of 60.0
Game 5: Oklahoma State: Total Snaps 21 | Grade of 90.1
Game 6: Iowa State: Total Snaps 7 | Grade of 54.2
Game 7: Kansas State: Total Snaps 10 | Grade of 54.3
Game 8: Arizona: Total Snaps 8 | Grade of 60.9
Game 9: Cincinnati: Total Snaps 4 | Grade of 54.4

Sammarco made a move during fall camp after arriving in the spring and was able to make his way onto the field for five plays in the season opener and then in the Albany game that role increased further. After being used as a blocker in the first game, Sammarco caught a pass for four yards in the second but was limited to just one snap against Pittsburgh and no offensive snaps against Kansas. But he did see the field as a run blocker against Oklahoma State, Iowa State, Kansas State, Arizona and Cincinnati.

Game 2: Albany: Total Snaps 14 | Grade of 65.8
Game 8: Arizona: Total Snaps 9 | Grade of 54.4
Game 9: Cincinnati: Total Snaps 6 | Grade of 60.7

Jennings saw action in the season opener on special teams but saw that role increase significantly as he was on the field for 14 plays at the spear position. However, after not seeing the field on defense for five games he had 9 snaps against Arizona and recorded a tackle and followed that up with six snaps against Cincinnati. He has been a fixture on special teams. One of only a handful of freshmen with a proven role at this point, Jennings should continue to see time on the field between defense and especially special teams.

Game 2: Albany: Total Snaps 25 | Grade of 58.2
Game 3: Pitt: Total Snaps 9 | Grade of 58.9
Game 4: Kansas: Total Snaps 15 | Grade of 55.8
Game 5: Oklahoma State: Total Snaps 9 | Grade of 50.8
Game 6: Iowa State: Total Snaps 9 | Grade of 45.4
Game 7: Kansas State: Total Snaps 5 | Grade of 43.5
Game 8: Arizona: Total Snaps 7 | Grade of 50.0
Game 9: Cincinnati: Total Snaps 13 | Grade of 62.7

Gabriel played a healthy complement of snaps in the second game of the season and recorded a total of two tackles to go along with it. He then saw the field against Pittsburgh for 9 snaps and recorded a tackle and half a tackle for loss. He has been a fixture in the defensive line rotation since that point for a handful of snaps each game. He recorded a tackle against Arizona and did again against Cincinnati.

Game 2: Albany: Total Snaps 18 | Grade of 56.3
Game 5: Oklahoma State: Total Snaps 6 | Grade of 44.8

After playing a healthy complement of snaps in the second game, Kinsler did not see the field on defense against Pitt or Kansas but did against Oklahoma State. He has not been used on defense since. The Mountaineers need more depth up front and it will be interesting to see how he continues to develop up front.

Game 5: Oklahoma State: Total Snaps 1 | Grade of 59.4
Game 7: Kansas State: Total Snaps 2 | Grade of 60.0

Hubbard impressed during the bye week and that led to the first action of his career against Oklahoma State where he carried the ball one time for a single yard. He did not see the field against Iowa State but did for only two snaps against Kansas State as a pass blocker. He did not see the field against Arizona. The Mountaineers could elect to get him into the mix more, but that also will depend on the health of the room.

Game 5: Oklahoma State: Total Snaps 21 | Grade of 51.3
Game 7: Kansas State: Total Snaps 3 | Grade of 62.9
Game 8: Arizona: Total Snaps 14 | Grade of 54.6
Game 9: Cincinnati: Total Snaps 4 | Grade of 62.7

Boyce is another that impressed during the bye week and that led to him seeing opportunities on the field. He recorded a tackle in the Oklahoma State game although there were also some times where his youth was obvious. He did not see the field against Iowa State on defense but then recorded a tackle against Kansas State and had another against Arizona. He didn’t record any statistics in his four snaps against UC.

Game 2: Albany: Total Snaps 3 | Grade of 60.0

Dunbar did not see the field on offense against Arizona as West Virginia elected to use just their other options ahead of him.

Game 2: Albany: Total Snaps 3 | Grade of 62.2

Byerson saw action in this game toward the end against Albany and was at least able to get on the field and experience some defensive snaps at this early stage of his career. He did not see the field on defense in either of the past six games.

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